All Saints Day: Second-graders at St. Mark Catholic School in Huntersville were saints, literally, in early November. All 81 second-graders dressed as a favorite saint and lead a schoolwide Mass for All Saints Day. Monsignor Richard Bellow, pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church, celebrated the Mass and used the time during the homily to quiz students on what they had learned about saints. The Mass is a culmination of a monthlong project for the second-grade students in which each chooses a saint, researches the saint's life and completes a written report.

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Band and choir performances: St. Mark's band will perform Dec. 9 and the St. Mark Choir will perform Dec. 10 at Barnes and Noble, where a portion of sales will go to the school.

Chess club: The St. Mark Lion Kings participated in the first Charlotte Mecklenburg Scholastic Chess Association team tournament in October. The elementary beat out McAlpine, Endhaven and Myers Park. The team included Christian Sturt, Nathan Chambers, Nick Todd, Brandon Webster, Liam Newell, and Matthew Chambers. The middle school team lost a tough battle with Jay M. Robinson, Southwest Middle School, and Community House. James Chapman won all three of his matches. Other team members included Elijiah Laruffa and Jeremy Harris. The club is lead by coaches Chris Hlebak and Barry Hester.

Holiday closings: The school is closed today for the holy day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The school will close for Christmas break beginning Dec. 20, reopening Jan. 3.

Community School of Davidson

Veterans Day: Students at Community School of Davidson honored those who serve and who have served though military service on Veterans' Day. Veterans from all over, including grandparents and parents of students and staff, stood together at the school's flag poles at 565 Griffith St. and raised flags together. Bryant Alexander, who returned recently from a tour of duty in Iraq, presented the school's executive director, Joy Warner, with a U.S. flag that had been flown on a combat reconnaissance mission in Iraq on July 4, 2010. "Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of the sacrifice of our nation's founders and heroes," read Alexander from the certificate he presented along with the flag. Alexander's children, Clarke and Sage, are students at the school.

Davidson Day

Season of Light: Learn how the winter holidays are celebrated around the globe at the Early Childhood and Kindergarten Season of Light event, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Dec. 11. Students will showcase the sights, sounds and tastes of a winter holiday, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali and Dong Zhi, as celebrated in places such as France, Africa, Israel, Mexico, Germany, Brazil and India. The event is free and open to the public.

A Christmas Carol: Students in grades three-12 will perform "A Christmas Carol," based on the novel by Charles Dickens, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 9-11 with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Dec. 11.